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The Assistant: Victor Cardenas, Novi, MI

We're back with another installment of The Assistant series where we sit down with Assistant and Deputy City (& County) Managers to get their take on local government. Today we hear from Victor Cardenas, Assistant City Manager for the City of Novi, MI.

The Impact of the "Orv" by Connor Reed

Connor Reed, Indiana University sophomore, returns to discuss the "Orv's" influence among local government practitioners. The Impact of the "Orv" by Connor Reed – LinkedIn and Twitter In my previous article, I offered perspectives on local government from the view of an undergraduate, just beginning to become familiar with the field, the policies and the people...

The Job Search: ELGL's New Offering and How You Can Help

ELGL is about to launch our newest offering that will make your local government career even more fulfilling. We've been teaming with Project A to develop this offering and we expect to launch it to all ELGL members in early December. But first, we need some feedback from YOU. We want to hear the advice that has...

What is an Assistant To?: Chantal Cotton Gaines, City of Oakland, CA

What is an Assistant to the City Manager? In between other duties as assigned, council meetings, and a bewildering assortment of public inquiries, ELGL members identify the essential functions of the position.

Karl Knapp - Budget Director, Cary (NC)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67E42LQsU24 Welcome to the new and (somewhat) improved version of our member introductions. If you are puzzled by the column name, take a minute to watch this scene from Austin Powers. Today we sit down with Karl Knapp the Budget Director for Cary, NC. Background Check Karl Knapp is the current Budget Director for the...

Guidepost #16 – Sarah Hazel

Welcome to week #16 of the Cookingham Connection. Today, we hear from Sarah Hazel, City of Charlotte, North Carolina. Guidepost #16: Don’t pursue your program at a faster pace than the council, the employees, and public can follow. You will always see plenty of things to do and have plenty of changes to make but be sure...

Google Hangout: Building the Case for Social Media

ELGL is excited to announced its first Google Hangout series. Kim Ervin, Pyramid Communications, has spearheaded the effort in order to continue the social media conversation that started at #ELGL14. Topic: Strategies for building momentum internally for social media. Leaders share how they built the case for, and created a supported space, for social media....

Guidepost #16 - Ed Zuercher, City of Phoenix, AZ

Ed Zuercher is the City Manager of Phoenix, Arizona. Mr. Zuercher was appointed City Manager on Feb. 19, 2014. In this role, Zuercher is the Chief Administrative Officer for the city of Phoenix and oversees the largest council-manager form of government in the United States, with 14,500 city employees, including seven employee unions and associations....

Writing with Russ: Is Passive Voice Evil?

Russell Bither-Terry reflects on his experience working at the UNC-Chapel Hill Writing Center to bring you tips for clear, concise writing. Whether you are an MPA student or a city manager, Russell’s tips can help you in your everyday writing. An article was written. Passive voice was used. by Russell Bither-Terry Hi folks. I know it’s been...

A Call for Small Town Mayors

ELGL has been approached by an international production firm that is developing a series on small town mayors in the United States. (They define small town as less than 40,000 population.) They are looking for big personalities who are passionate about the community they are serving, somebody with strong opinions and a real drive to make...

Will Obamacare Work Better in Year Two?

Josh Schultz works in New York City helping elderly and disabled people access health insurance and afford health care. He welcomes comments about this article or suggestions for future topics. This post consists of only his own views. Previous columns can be found here – “Taking Triple Aim on Health Care.” The ACA’s second year...

ELGL Site Upgrade

After five themes and four years, the ELGL blog is about to undergo a face lift! Your favorite content will remain the same, but we want to make sure that this site is optimized for your best use - on your phone, tablet, computer - and that the organization and visual appeal matches the...

Introducing the Washington State Advisory Board

We've culled through thousands of applications to finalize the most diverse and (hopefully) smartest advisory board in the country. The ELGL Washington Advisory Board represents a wide range of the local government arena including managers, students, MPA staff, and private sector professionals. The board will provide direction on the content and programming that ELGL provides in...

Allow Myself to Introduce Myself....Lisa Nisenson, Greater Places and Cards Against Urbanity

Cards Against Urbanity: Getting Snarky About Cities Welcome to the new and (somewhat) improved version of our member introductions. If you are puzzled by the column name, take a minute to watch the above scene from Austin Powers. Background Check Lisa Nisenson (LinkedIn and Twitter) is co-founder of GreaterPlaces, a tech start-up devoted to urban...

The SoCal Scene with Cheryl Hughes

Cheryl Hughes, City of Palmdale, CA returns with the latest and greatest from Southern California. Where ever you are reading this from, it's a safe bet that Cheryl has nicer weather. We’re all busy, but we’re never too busy to keep up with the latest trends in local government. I’ve saved you the work by...

Somewhat Breaking News: ELGL, Springbrook, and Volsta Launch Civic Leaders

CIVIC LEADERS will launch in December! The cat is out of the bag. (Whatever that means.) ELGL is partnering with Springbrook Software and Volsta Media to bring you a new offering called, "Civic Leaders." Civic Leaders will be a show about interesting local government leaders and topics. Consider this an early Christmas present as we'll launch...

Mobile Billboards, Internal Bike Share....Newark's Approach to Healthy Living

Ian Davidson, ELGL project assistant, writes about an internal bike share program for city employees in Newark, Delaware. Internal Bike Share for City Employees by Ian Davidson - LinkedIn and Twitter The City of Newark's internal bike share program first came to our attention in this Newark Post article, "City employees' bikes serve as 'mobile...

Guidepost #15 - Jim Lenner, Johnstown, OH

Welcome to week #15 of the Cookingham Connection. On Friday, we heard from Mr. Tom Bonfield, the city manager of Durham, North Carolina, about Guidepost #15. Today, we learn from Mr. Jim Lenner, the Village Manager/planner for Johnstown, Ohio. Mr. Lenner was appointed as Village Manager in December of 2010. Previously, he served as Johnstown’s Village Planner. Jim received...

Innovation Series: MuniRent & the Local Government Sharing Economy

Join us on Wednesday November 12 for another installment of the Innovation Webinar Series. This time we'll be joined by MuniRent a start up that is striving to bring the sharing economy to local governments. Read on to register and learn more.

Knope of the Week: Amanda Lamb, Oregon Secretary of State

Determined. Truly Amazing. Good Company Amanda Lamb (LinkedIn and Twitter) is everywhere - she's writing articles for #ELGL14, she's organizing the first ever Portland State alumni event for public administration students, and she's working her day job as a performance auditor with the Oregon Secretary of State. ELGL is just one of the many organizations benefiting from...